A hush fell over the room as Orange County School of the Arts (OCSA) students turned their eyes to the screen to watch – for most what was for the first time–scenes from the 1999 film “Galaxy Quest.”
As part of OCSA’s third annual Master Artist Series, film and television director Dean Parisot and composer David Newman gathered in Symphony Hall with students from the Film & Television and Instrumental Music conservatories to discuss the space-satire film they created together nearly two decades ago.
Working together on this film in the early days of their careers taught the two artists to appreciate the interdependence of directing and music composition, and how it can affect a film’s overall production quality.
“Movies and music is the perfect blending of two art forms,” Parisot said. “When it works, it’s the most beautiful thing in the world.”
The two met on the set of “Galaxy Quest” when Parisot was brought in late on the project per the producer’s request, and they had very little time to score the film. But things just kept on working for them—an occurrence Parisot insisted is very rare in the movie industry.
Parisot, who has gone on to direct episodes of “Santa Clarita Diet,” “The Good Wife” and “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” has stayed connected to Newman, an Academy-award nominated composer, because of their original work together. Part of a long family line of musicians, Newman is best known for his scores on the films “Anastasia,” “Matilda” “Heathers” “Ice Age,” “Serenity,” “The Sandlot” and others.
“Galaxy Quest,” which satirizes the sci-fi genre, has themes of redemption and comradery. To accomplish this feat of telling a light-hearted, yet still touching story, took effort from both parties.
“Everyone wins in this movie,” Parisot said, explaining that he grew up loving movies like “Star Trek” and “Star Wars,” but wanted to set this film apart by blending laughter and sincerity.
Newman and Parisot also illustrated how good directing and scoring can affect the way an audience experiences a film. Instead of the music trying to tell the story, Parisot said the first thing a director should discuss with a composer is who the characters are and what they will be going through. Then, it is the composer’s turn to write with this in mind.
For “Galaxy Quest” in particular, it posed challenges of being a dramatic comedy, a component that affected both the script and the score. Balancing between satire and emotion can be difficult, but Parisot was satisfied with the end result.
“Being on the edge of being dramatic and allowing comedy … it never works if you’re trying to be funny, you just have to allow it,” Parisot said.
The professionals illustrated their point by showing the clip from the film where the human actors drive their newly-made spaceship into the side of the port. The hopeful music continues throughout the uncomfortable event, creating a dramatic irony the audience has to laugh at.
Parisot and Newman then discussed the ultimate purpose of music in film. Newman advised students against the temptation of creating an amazing score that ultimately doesn’t improve the overall quality of the movie or its storytelling.
“When music wants to go there, but it has to go here, it takes a certain temperament to find joy in that … but there’s no reason to put music in a movie unless it enhances it,” Newman said.
Though Newman admitted our society values originality, he explained how this mindset can be harmful to a film composer’s experience. The priority, he attested, is always to enhance the scene, which sometimes means putting away the excitement of creating something new.
Students were given the opportunity to ask questions of the master artists, both of whom could comment on the experiences of working with others in an artistic professional setting. However, they both admitted their compatibility was an anomaly in a usually chaotic creating process.
The seminar then split off into breakout sessions with both Newman and Parisot, where students could listen and ask questions about the creative process in a more intimate setting.
Next week, OCSA will welcome Broadway actress Megan Hilty, who will give a traditional vocal masterclass to Musical Theatre and Integrated Arts students.